The Four Stages of the Zen Circle explains the process of awakening in the clearest way I have seen. It is a process of progressively letting go of attachments to illusion. Often people, including spiritual teachers, become stuck in one of the stages and believe that is the end of the process. Hopefully, this simple video will clear up any confusion that seems to be so common today.
The Secret to Happiness
The secret to happiness is so obvious. It’s been staring you right in the face your entire life. And that’s why you don’t notice it. We all have many reasons to be unhappy. And sometimes we think we have reasons to be happy. But there actually is no reason to be happy. Happiness is our natural state of being. Although you may not notice it, it’s always right here.
We may think we are happy because of a certain person or situation, but that is never really true. When that person or situation is in our life, we’ve simply stopped looking for anything else. We have what we want and we don’t want anything to be different from the way it is. Not wanting anything to be different from the way it is IS happiness.
It’s not the person or situation. It’s that we are no longer resisting life at that moment and wishing it were different. That’s happiness.
When we resist life and want it to be different from the way it is, we are unhappy. When we stop resisting and wishing it were different, we’re happy. That’s it. It’s the most obvious thing there is, yet few people are aware of it. Because we’re not aware of it we search for happiness in people, things, events, and situations, usually things that are not present in our life right at this moment. And that is why we’re not happy.
If you want to experience the natural happiness that is ALWAYS present no matter what situation is going on, simply fully accept everything in this moment exactly as it is. Do it. You’ll see. That’s happiness. Happiness is always right here in this moment. And it is never anywhere else.
This video should help you experience the happiness that is always here.
The Secret to Happiness
The Secret to Happiness MP3
Here is an audio file you can download.
Secret-to-Happiness Audio Download
Social Distancing?
At one time, I walked, chanted, and sat in meditation with hundreds of monks, nuns, and lay practitioners of the Way.
Today I seemingly walk, chant, and sit in meditation alone.
But is this really true?
In my direct experience, I am walking, chanting, and sitting meditation with infinite Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
I am walking, chanting, and sitting with infinite awakened beings from all traditions and no traditions.
All those I have walked, chanted, and sat with in person, I am still waking, chanting, and sitting with today.
Even those not on a spiritual path who do not walk, chant, and sit in such devotion, love, and awareness are all here with me.
It is not only walking, chanting, and sitting, but in every moment I am never alone. Throughout the infinite universe there has never been a moment of separation.
You might say, “But your body is alone.”
Even here I must say that is not my experience.
The mountains and trees are my bones. The rivers are my blood. The wind is my breath. The sun is my heart. Can you really find any separation here? I cannot.
Even now the birds have begun the chanting session, singing the Eternal Unity of all existence.
Some people feel alone with social distancing. I would ask them to pay a little closer attention and not be distracted by their thoughts.
Many or One? A Visual Koan
Whenever Zen Master Gutei was asked about Zen, he would simply hold up one finger.
His teaching was known as “one finger Zen”.
This photograph of leaves,
the Shodo (Zen calligraphy) for “one”,
and Gutei’s one finger Zen,
are they the same or different?
If you say different,
you are caught in the weeds of conceptual thinking.
If you say the same,
you have swallowed a poison you cannot spit out.
Not falling into either trap, what can you say?
Do not think this is an idle question.
Your very life hangs in the balance.
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These leaves all came from the same tree. They were photographed with a high-resolution scanner at 4800 dots per inch.
The calligraphy is the Shodo (Zen calligraphy) for one.
The combination of the two has a deeper meaning than either alone.
In Zen, we say that the all is in the one and the one is in the all.
This is not something the conceptual mind of duality can understand
and yet we can directly realize the profound truth of this.
Perhaps this image, the koan, and the teaching of Zen Master Gutei can help.
You can find more Visual Koans at the online Zen Art Gallery
The Practice of Noble Silence
The Practice of Noble Silence
The Practice of Noble Silence is probably the most profound, useful, and beneficial spiritual practice there is. It begins with stopping the external doing in your life and slowly extends to stopping the internal chattering of your mind. When the mind is still and silent, a great clarity arises by itself. This is the way of True Wisdom. It is the way of Awakening.
These live Satsang videos are available every Wednesday at 7:00 pm and Saturday at noon Pacific Time on Facebook Live. They appear on the Facebook page, Satsang with Peter. There is a Zoom session after the Satsang for those who have questions or want to share their experiences. The Zoom meeting number is 983-208-8996. Some of these live Satsang videos will be posted later here on the YouTube channel as this one was. To see when new videos are posted, subscribe to The Enlightened Way YouTube channel and visit the website https://n-lightenment.com.
Realizing Truth
Can Truth be found in words or thoughts or is it something more? In this video I introduce the deep Truth that is always here beyond the limitations of words and thoughts. Enjoy.
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